'Tough To Replicate': Shubman Gill Full Of Praise For Virat Kohli After 1st ODI Heroics Against New Zealand

India vs New Zealand 1st ODI: Virat Kohli was at his very best during a run chase as he helped India beat New Zealand by 3 wickets in the first ODI match in Vadodara on Sunday, as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Having missed out on his 54th ODI century, Virat played an incredible knock of 93 runs in 91 balls on the back of eight fours and a six.

Skipper Shubman Gill, who himself smashed a crucial half-century, was full of praise for the former captain and senior batter Virat. The duo stitched a 118-run partnership for the second wicket and laid the foundation for an outstanding run chase. Gill, who closely watched the brilliance of Kohli, acknowledged the difficulty of batting on the surface.

"At the moment, Kohli's making batting look easy; it's tough to start on these pitches. Tough to replicate what he does. Hope he keeps piling on runs," Gill said.

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Virat, who has been in remarkable form in the ODI format after his retirements from the Test and T20I cricket, smashed multiple records during his stay at the crease in the series opener against the Blackcaps. Playing in his 624th innings, Kohli completed 28,000 runs in international cricket, reaching the milestone by hitting a four off New Zealand leg-spinner Adithya Ashok. He smashed Sachin Tendulkar's record to become the fastest batter to reach the feat. Tendulkar had reached the landmark during his 644th innings, while Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, only the third player in the 28000-run club, crossed the feat in his 666th innings.

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"Honestly, if I look back at my whole journey, it's nothing short of a dream come true. I've always known my abilities. When I came in, I had to work a lot more to get to the place I am today.

"God has blessed me with way too much for me to complain about anything. So I feel nothing but gratitude. I always look back at my whole journey with a lot of grace and a lot of gratitude in my heart, and I feel proud about it."

Virat headed into New Zealand on the back of a couple of brilliant outings in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. He turned up for Delhi in the first two matches of the premier 50-over domestic tournament. He smashed a century in the first match against Andhra Pradesh before hitting a fiery fifty against Gujarat in the second match.